Embark on a diverse musical journey with Ainti as he blends electronic, rock, punk, and post-punk influences. In this interview, he shares insights on his genre-defying sound, cultural influences, and upcoming releases.
1. Your
musical journey is incredibly diverse, spanning genres like electronic, rock,
and even incorporating elements of punk and post-punk. How do you navigate such
a wide range of influences in your creative process?
I’d say my
ideas are a blend of everything that I enjoy. A piece of dark wave here, some
drops of post-punk there, a little of industrial, pouring some down-tempo, goth
to taste.
2.
Growing up in Brazil and later relocating to Hungary, how has the cultural
tapestry of these places influenced your music and artistic expression?
I think
these influences are indirect, more related to the environment and the moment
I’m living rather than national music genres. The so-called cultural tapestry
that directly influenced me, I would say, was performed by friends presenting
me unknown, different and interesting stuff, radios that I used to listen to
since I was a kid and even my family. We have a global culture nowadays. I can
consume content made by someone who lives in a country that I have never been
to, with a very distinct and different culture, I might feel comfortable and
enjoy that for example.
3. Your
debut single, "Rejoice," received praise for its genre-defying sound.
Can you share the inspiration behind the track and how it reflects your musical
philosophy?
It’s my
point of view. I wanted to share my impressions about how manipulative
leaders can be. Autocrats pretending to be “democrats”, justifying the
persecution that is carried out against their opponents based on their
political activism by different media, by paid "digital influencers",
relativizing facts. From then on, he wanted a dark environment, as if it were
scorched earth, buildings in ruins. The bass line was the first to be worked on
and from there the song began to take shape.
4.
"Rejoice" has been described as an enchanting and otherworldly
journey. How do you approach the balance between creating a unique sonic
experience and maintaining a connection with your audience?
Thanks for
the compliment! My audience is not established yet, I am at the very beginning
of my journey and I'm pretty sure this is not a very popular genre. I still
need to measure how’s going to be the overall reception on my following
releases.
5. The
unexpected male vocal intervention at the end of "Rejoice" has been
highlighted as a masterful touch. What led to this creative decision, and how
does it contribute to the overall narrative of the song?
My voice is
not only on the final part of the song, there are more interventions there, as
a backing vocal for the chorus and other parts. For this very specific part at
the end, I felt I needed a “disclaimer” part on the song, which I’m not being
ironic or sarcastic, something like “In case you haven't understood so far,
this is the message”. I also thought that I needed to reinforce the idea of not
obedience.
6. Your
educational background includes degrees in IT and Marketing, as well as studies
in theatre and cinema. How have these diverse academic pursuits influenced your
approach to music and creativity?
I’m an IT
guy, a nerd. I feel comfortable being in front of the computer for hours but at
the same time I need a different stimulus. Also, everything is about computers,
if you need to write a new script for a short movie, you’re gonna spend couple
of hours in a text editor, then you need to break down the script into a
spreadsheet to measure the filming days, establish the team, equipment, what
will be recorded on a given day, etc. For the theatre you will do the project,
you will also be in front of the computer for a long time, establish the
lighting map, design costumes, etc. With music it is not different, you are
going to spend hours using your computer, twiddling the knobs of your audio
interface, DAW and instruments.
7.
Having lived in different places and experienced various cultures, how do you
see these cultural influences shaping the direction of your upcoming releases,
especially the one featuring Nównøis?
I feel this
is an indirect influence. I might have changed some perceptions after
experiencing coming to Europe and living alone, having to take extra care of
myself, establishing new friendships and connections. In this process we
ended-up meeting each other, I already had My Very Good Days (which is my next
release) ready, including the lyrics and also mastered. Nównøis is a great
addition because the whole structure of the song was there, skeleton and body
but it needed a soul and she brought it, the song had another colour, it became
alive, vivid. That is a perfect match.
8. Your
philosophy embraces the productivity of having more questions than answers. How
does this philosophy translate into your songwriting process, and what
questions do you aim to explore through your music?
I prefer
talking about impressions rather than certainties. I would rather not answer
anything because all people have their subjectivities and their perception of
the world is different. If perceptions are different even within a home with a
family, can you imagine between people from different cultures? So that's why I
believe having more questions than canned preconceived ideas and answers is
more productive, having a broader point of view makes people more
understanding, more subject to even change their opinions if they receive
different stimuli and conceptions.
9.
Ainti's second single is set for release at the end of January 2024, featuring
Nównøis. Can you give us a glimpse into what we can expect from this upcoming
release and the collaboration with Nównøis?
“Rejoice” is
more atmospheric, I would say it's different from “My Very Good Days” on this
point. It’s going to be released on 26th of January. “My very good days” has
more symbols I would say. It's a longer song, it is almost 6 minutes long and
it is splitted in three parts. It has a bit more electronic elements, a bit of
rock’n roll and R&B as well.
10. Your
reviews often highlight the experimental feel and the blending of different
genres in your music. How do you see the role of experimentation in pushing the
boundaries of conventional music?
I don't
have the intention of pushing the boundaries of conventional music or this kind
of stuff, I just produce music the way I want. Maybe for the marketing point of
action however it's more complicated because you don't have the certain niche
that you would like to focus your merch. For "Rejoice" I was pretty
sure I would be well accepted on Industrial playlists or even Electronic music
playlists but no, it didn't happen this way, I got more accepted on Metal Music
playlists and I'm really happy about that. So, my idea is not to throw a new
genre, this is something organic, people sharing the same taste for music and
more or less with the same, let’s say, “vibe” are more subject to ignite
something like this.
11.
"Rejoice" has been described as an anthem breaking the barriers of
musical genres. How do you navigate the balance between artistic exploration
and creating music that resonates with a wider audience?
Just
reinforcing, this is not my idea and intention, to start a new genre. I just
create music the way I want the way it sounds within my head. I create music
for the people who are interested and enjoy it. I'm happy and flattered
whenever I receive a new follower or when I see that people are listening to my
song. That makes me really happy.
12. Your
vocal performance has been compared to modern-day Kate Bush. How do you
approach the emotional expression in your vocals, and who are some of your
vocal inspirations?
I believe
this is another compliment, if so, well, thank you again! “Rejoice” was written
for Iara’s voice. We have been through lots of things and we share a long
history together. She’s no longer performing as a singer nowadays,
unfortunately. I have joined some singing classes of hers, I’ve watched her
singing a couple of times, she had classical singing lessons. So I wrote this
song thinking about her voice and performance. When it comes to my personal
female vocals references, apart from Iara, it's quite abroad but I would say
mainly female voices from post-punk/darkwave periods. Siouxsie Sioux from
Siouxsie and the Banshees, Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins, Lisa Gerrard
from Dead Can Dance are good examples.
13. The
lyrics of "Rejoice" have been mentioned as critical of
authoritarianism and blind loyalty. How do you use your music as a platform for
expressing social and political commentary?
For me,
music sometimes is a better channel for you to express something. You have the
lyrics but it also has the whole atmosphere you want to establish, the mood you
want to print. For “Rejoice” I wanted a dark environment, mouldy, old
collapsing buildings. I want to create scenarios that people can be transported
to. This is the idea of a composition, not only about music but other means of
expression. Sometimes poetry is not enough.
14.
Ainti seems to challenge conventional norms and genres. How do you see your
music contributing to the broader landscape of the music industry, and what
impact do you hope to make with your art?
It's too
soon to talk about this. I mean, who am I? I’m just a single drop in an ocean
of very interesting musicians, I’m on the very beginning of my journey. I’d
rather think about each step I’m executing, being low profile and realistic. Of
course sometimes we dream big, it is free, but dreams cannot mess up with your
way.
15.
Looking ahead to 2024, with a commitment to continuous exploration and
collaboration, what can fans anticipate from Ainti in terms of new releases and
the evolution of your sound?
Apart from “My Very Good Days”, which will be released on 26th of January, I'm planning to release at least two more songs this year. Unfortunately time matters very much and I wanted to focus more on this. If I’m lucky I can release even three. I’m planning to release one before summer, I already started working on this song. It's another industrial-ish genre song, full of electronic elements, digital and analog synthesisers. The other one I also already started working on, it’s more intimate and talks about longing and the third one, if I’m lucky, actually it's kind of ready, but it needs a better polish there. That would be a surprise even for me if I managed to release this song this year. Let's see how it goes. I would like to have at least four songs released by the end of this year, already counting “Rejoice” and “My Very Good Days”. Let’s see and thank you for your space!
ainti (@_ainti) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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